School / College / Uni / Exams / Finals

[Kristen]

Hm... Well, next semester I have Calc III, Diff Eq, Engineering Fundamentals II, Physics, Geology, and Statics. I may sit in on a Japanese I course if it fits into my schedule. That is 18 credits along with 3 audited credits.

Fun semester, I guess.

[ApostleOfGod]

Originally Posted by johnthesifu

Since most people here are from the US or are in an educational ranking system similar to the US i have some questions

Im in the UK and the ranking system is different. it would be easier to understand roughly where in life everyone is.

in the UK:
Secondary school (ages 12-16)
year 7 = ages 12
year 8 = ages 13
year 9 = ages 14
year 10 = ages 15
year 11 = ages 16

College/6th form (ages 16-18)
University (ages 18+)

In Canada, College is applied, and shorter than University, which is academic, but they both start after high school. US probably runs the same way as well.

[Marina]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

Spoiler for :

I just finished this past December. It was 4.5 years for me due to a late change of majors. A 5-year program at this point makes a lot of sense for many programs of study. Many areas of work have become increasingly complex, and in many other areas there's been an information explosion. In order to accommodate for that you can do three things - try to cut out information that might not be as important, try to cram all of the information into the same period of time (and risk people not getting as strong a grasp of the material), or lengthen the period of time. None of us want to feel like we're losing time and having delayed entry into later parts of life, but that's a side effect of progress, I suppose.

I know that for my engineering program (first major) the schedule basically had us packed at five classes per semester. Engineering classes were never four units, but two or three (so that you could take at least two and bring yourself to five classes). If I'd stayed on track, my final semester would have had me taking six classes. For what it's worth, most people find four classes to be a full load. By comparison, other majors at my university would have allowed a person to graduate in three years simply by taking four classes per semester, and of course the schedule was very open so that you could take many unrelated classes if you wanted to.

Envy Now I'm looking into beginning a M.D. or Ph.D program. Should be a nice change of pace.

Congrats on graduating, what are you getting your M.D. in? Yeah, I can still relax and prolong my studies, but I've got scholarships specified to last only four years. I also like going to classes, so I never had a problem with taking 18-21 credits each semester (although 18 credits one summer was a bit much...thank goodness they were only core classes though). I always was envious of the math/science majors since they take so few classes each semester. Being in the arts means tons of classes for 1 credit each (this is especially true in the music program), it really sucks.

[Yaoi_Daisuki]

woo Im from Singapore too . . . went to a polytechnic instead of high school (JC)

well right now im on my final years, infact just afew weeks to my final exams hahaha, after that will be going for national service and then enrolling into a overseas uni

[Yakult]

School is a godsend!

[Zero Shinohara]

Originally Posted by ChrissieXD

Hm... Well, next semester I have Calc III, Diff Eq, Engineering Fundamentals II, Physics, Geology, and Statics. I may sit in on a Japanese I course if it fits into my schedule. That is 18 credits along with 3 audited credits.

Fun semester, I guess.

Ouch. Here I am thinking my semester is going to suck because I've gotta drive 25 miles to campus twice a week to stand through 6-hour-straight class bundles.

Unfortunately because my course is fairly new on the block, I only have around 4-5 classes for it available per semester, at most. Some of these I already took, which means I'm taking 9 degree credits and one, Computer Animation, as a non-counting elective. The latter is just because I want to learn that stuff like Flash and animation basics, but I'll never benefit from it in terms of graduation. I had 13 last semester, 12 in this one... What the hell, it'll take me 4 more years to finish college.

[EXEs]

IB is bloody stressful. Why did my school decided to oust A-levels?

[Rafufu]

Sitting Physics, Chemistry and Economics AS next term. Also doing A2 maths a year early and im so screwed because i dont listen in lessons so im gunna have to learn the whole darn syllabus in 4 months

[Chami-sensei]

I have AS exams in 4 days for Accountancy, Business studies, Maths and Further maths. I expect to pass Maths and Accountancy getting As and Bs for the other 2. I would also be doing the Chemistry exam but my teacher sucks so everyone will have to do it in June. Should start revising actually...

[johnthesifu]

Originally Posted by Rafufu

Sitting Physics, Chemistry and Economics AS next term. Also doing A2 maths a year early and im so screwed because i dont listen in lessons so im gunna have to learn the whole darn syllabus in 4 months

Originally Posted by Chami-sensei

I have AS exams in 4 days for Accountancy, Business studies, Maths and Further maths. I expect to pass Maths and Accountancy getting As and Bs for the other 2. I would also be doing the Chemistry exam but my teacher sucks so everyone will have to do it in June. Should start revising actually...

Ah yes...nothing like the smell of everyone in the UK doing A level exams on January
It feels good knowing that other people on here are facing the same situation

[Akherousin]

Freshman in college. General Chem 2, Principles of Genetics, Calculus, and Physics.

Awesome.

[Zaku Hyuga]

I thought it would be interesting to discuss where people went to school. You know K-12 and college if you went. Talk about what your school was/is like and how you felt about it. You do not have to tell you whole school history if you don't want to. I'm currently homeschooled and have been homeschooled my entire life, I have only ever stepped foot in school to pick up friends when they need rides and to take the end of year exams (FCATs(Florida Curricular Assessment Test) since I'm in Florida). I love being homeschooled. You can start at whatever time of day that you like as long as you do four hours of schooling, you can take whatever days of that you want as long as you have done 180 days of schooling by the end of the year, so if you get sick you don't miss any days. That by the way is great since you don't get behind on schoolwork. It takes a lot on the parents part though. My mom has to buy the textbooks every year, and she has to schedule everything, and correct the work, she does all this while working nightshift for 12 hours 5 days a week. So it takes a really dedicated parent to homeschool. Another downside is that you don't get to see your friends at school everyday. Okay enough about me, time for you guys to discuss your schooling.

[Ichihara Asako]

Not 100% relevant, but this thread pretty much covers this topic. Though the title is about high school, I think more than a few people have talked about other parts of their school life, too. ^^;

Anyway, home schooling has pros and cons. The main reason for school (both primary and high, ie. K-12) is for kids to learn social skills. High school in this country (7-10) can be completed in a 12 week course, but is spanned over four years for kids to learn how to interact with others as they grow up. The minister of education said so himself while I was in school (one of my schools had a lot of press coverage at one point due to some 'alternative' education policies). The same applies to home schooling, I think.

While kids -can- learn everything, academically, from books and online etc, the school environment is an important part of becoming a 'person' in our modern society. For better or worse. Personally I'm not fond of the general social structures of either school or the workplace (many of which are even worse than the schoolyard) but I do think it's good to experience it to understand it.

[Archontic]

I went to a shithouse Protestant-run private school called Memorial Day. Got picked on a lot, turned into a rebellious and violent lunatic. Got kicked out eventually. Went to H.V. Jenkins, a shithouse public school that was run by gangs and incapable idiots. Basically the definition of a "tough" school, though the work was easy. I got even more "mentally unstable" as those beige fuckers put it, so they forced me to be homeschooled for the better part of the second semester of my Senior year. I got pretty fucking popular and had a great rep in the last two years there. Now I'm in Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Before that, we were all over the place. I went through at least seven different schools before I graduated (from kindergarten to my 12th year) since my mother was in the U.S. Air Force.

I agree with Ichihara; I believe that the vast majority of school itself is designed not to teach you how to interact and function socially. It was a good benefit for me, because now I fit in with just about any crowd like a fucking puzzle piece, no problem. I don't want to, but when I first came to America, I had no idea about what the customs or culture was built around. I was fucking lost, and people hated and ostracized me for it, constantly reminding me that I was "different in a bad way" through physical and mental abuse. If I hadn't gone to school, though, I'd of never learned how to fix that situation. I learned about the social structure, and how to function in society, if not only on some basic level. It's very important, believe it or not. You learn a fuck of a lot more than Algebra there.

[Reckoner]

So who else is in enjoying their finals and exams in school at the moment ?

Got myself a Chemistry AP final tomorrow along with an AP Statistics Exam (the latter is quite easy though). Friday got an AS U.S. Exam, and next week got an AP Chemistry exam. Just got done with SAT IIs last weekend as well.

[Alleluia_Cone]

I graduated from the University of Caucasians Lost in Asia last year with a double degree in History and Political Science. Now I'm looking at the prospect of Law School this coming Fall. All in all, I guess what I'm trying to say is, "No Fun."

[Solais]

I'm in high school. Actually in a "technical school", what teaches engineering. And I f*cking hate it! The whole school! I mean, I want to be a writer, I don't give a damn about engineering, but my parents have to send into this school, because "it's good and famous", but no, it's actually have just good propaganda or something like that, because it's actually sh*t.
First, It's a boy's school. I haven't seen any real girls for 4 years!
Secondly, i was severely bullied, because I like studying literature, and english, and because I like anime, and because I'm not a skinhead like them. I was so bullied last year, that it almost drived me to kill myself, I was really depressed, no friends at all, and actualy failing the 11th year.
Thirdly, my parents don't allow me to go to an other school. Because "it's good and famous."
Fourth, the teachers are sh*t, too. They're either lazy, or saying "I'm the best, and what I say is ultimate!" and then she actually teaches nothing. (Yes, 'she' because I referring to my physics teacher, who is a b*tch.) And of course they give good grades to the "cool guys".

And, not just that. What if I somehow reach the college, then I learn what I want? This country only employs engineers and programmers. Everyone has just this two choices: be an engineer, or a programmer, or your goin' under the bridge. This hopelessness what leave me in despair actually.
Arrgh I hate this country.

[Rookie103]

Originally Posted by gunn

yes but your mam and Dad would tech you to read and right

Looks like they haven't taught you, though.

[Miko Miko]

School,, I hate it but its kind of all worth it. You learn what you need to and meet other people, make lots of friends.

Right now I am hating school because I have SATS exams all this week. But apart from that its fine.

[Rookie103]

Originally Posted by Miko Miko

School,, I hate it but its kind of all worth it. You learn what you need to and meet other people, make lots of friends.

Right now I am hating school because I have SATS exams all this week. But apart from that its fine.

Same here . We had three maths tests today, I don't think I did very well in the last one .

Also, aren't they called National Curriculum Assessments now?